


The Giants Of Cullero Cliffs

by adrift_me



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, DH2, Elsewhere Zine, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 18:39:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15443343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adrift_me/pseuds/adrift_me
Summary: How rare are the days that the Duke of Serkonos can spend with his sweetheart Aramis Stilton! But when they meet, the world seems to blossom around them and brings adventures that surely entertain a Duke's and a mining lord's lives.Written for Elsewhere Charity Zine.





	The Giants Of Cullero Cliffs

**Author's Note:**

> At last, I can publish this little romantic fic about two absolute sweet trash men Theodanis Abele and Aramis Stilton. Thanks so much everyone for purchasing the zine, we've gathered a considerable sum that went to an LGBTQ supporting charity. What an honour and fun it was to participate :)
> 
> I hope you will enjoy reading this story! The idea is based off one of the Serkonos legends paintings you can find in game and as a concept art.
> 
> [Come chat with me on tumblr :)](https://a-driftamongopenstars.tumblr.com/ask)

For all means and purposes, it is Theodanis Abele who should be the subject of admiration, the one to be studied, called all the beautiful epithets. He is the Duke of Serkonos, and all eyes are always on him.

But he cannot help reversing his role with his friend, his partner Aramis Stilton.

He has never seen a man quite so captivating through the sheer enthusiasm for life and improvement. Where there is a seed to be planted, Aramis takes care of it devotedly, nurtures it until it blossoms into a flower. He rose from the mine dust to be a mine owner and a beloved noble. He provided things the miners needed because he knew their needs better than anyone else. In the glint of his eyes, there is liveliness that in a rather short period of time Theodanis has grown to love.

And then that glinting gaze was turned to him with a hint of something different, closer to the heart.

“My dear Aramis,” Theodanis says, taking a rough hand in his. It’s comforting to perform such small gestures of affection, especially when there are no eyes to watch them. “This is quite an adventure we are having. I have not been to Cullero for a decade, unfortunately, and it should be most useful and agreeable to see it again.”

Aramis smiles, running a gentle thumb over Theodanis’ palm. “I have plenty of plans. And if you see fit to join me, I’d be quite pleased.”

“With pleasure.”

The carriage they take shakes a little as it hurries along the rails, taking the Duke and his companion away to Cullero. Before they head into the city on official business, they are to spend a whole weekend in a birthplace of exotic fruit and spices, staying just outside the city’s interior at a small lake cottage. Peaceful, private and promising.

“I wonder if we shall encounter the infamous giants of the cliffs,” Stilton says, looking thoughtfully out of the window. The dry wind is picking up outside, playing with the dry tree branches and wild thickets of grass. Cullero is warmer than Karnaca at this time of year, but also windier.

Theodanis pours hot water in a coffee press, and immediately the room fills in with an enticing smell of the brew. It feels nice to be on his own without the scattered hurry of the servants, bothering little about the way his sleeve has dipped into coffee dust a little or how his hair has been ruffled up by the playful wind.

“I would suggest we go out for a small trip and explore the valley, but are we young enough to run back if the giants do appear?” Theodanis teases, and Stilton laughs, cracking his fingers.

“My friend, we are old but sprightly, learned but foolish, taken but in love. I think this means we absolutely ought to go and explore the valley.”

Aramis’ hand gently rests on Theodanis’ cheek, and he can feel the calluses of hard work and the slight tremble of age. He kisses his lover’s palm and then kisses his lips, briefly but affectionately. Such a venture is very much like Aramis. And he is happy to tag along.

Out in the valley the winds are joyful and free. There is great might to them, and tall grass bends to them, making the valley look like a vast green sea. Aramis and Theodanis clutch at their coats as they slowly make their way to where the cliffs are, keeping quiet as the winds play about.

By the time they reach the cliffs, the wind dies down and a light rain begins.

“Theo,” Aramis calls for his partner, and the Duke turns to look at him, feeling a little drunk on freedom and utterly lovesick. Aramis’ face softens a little in mild surprise at the glance he receives, and he smiles. “I think these tales of the giants are a great exaggeration. The people of Cullero are romantics! The giants are the cliffs, made so much bigger by these magnificent winds and crying howls. Wouldn’t you make such an assumption, were you a Cullero citizen?”

Theodanis laughs heartedly, stopping in his tracks. Rain picks up slowly, and by now both men have their hair and faces wet.

“Oh Aramis, if there is a romantic I know, it is I. You are a practical man with an artful eye. Let your imagination run wild, and I will be the one to admire it.”

Aramis’ face glows red after such praise. He takes Theodanis’ hand and kisses it and then pulls them both to sit on the edge of the cliff they are on. Rain bothers them little, and the winds have calmed down. The vast valley looks ragged and picturesque from here, and both men are watching it with a fully contented heart.

The ground shakes.

Stilton’s gaze catches the Dukes. Both of them feel tingles down their spine.

The cliffs are moving ahead...


End file.
